Fertilizing trees and shrubs can be confusing. Willow Ridge is here to help demystify this process!!
Greg, our friendly garden guy, has several great videos on our website that delve into the what, when and how of effective fertilization, but we also want to provide you with a quick reference guide for our preferred tree and shrub fertilizer, Hi Yield Growers Special 12-6-6.
This is a time-release fertilizer that provides a complete feeding and contains Blue Chip form of Nitrogen to keep your trees and shrubs growing strong.
Whether you are planting in the spring or fall, it’s important to give new planting about six weeks to start shooting out new roots before you begin to fertilize. You can help your plant in this process by adding Bio-Tone Root Stimulatorto the bottom of your planting hole. Once new roots begin to form, simply use the calculation below.
**For both new trees and shrubs, apply ½ cup per foot of height of the plant.
Ex: If your tree is 4’ tall you will apply 2 cups of Hi Yield
**For established shrubs in a larger bed, apply 1 ½ to 2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. of bed area.
**For established trees, apply 3lbs of Hi Yield for each inch of trunk diameter at chest height.
How and where to apply fertilizer
Because Hi Yield is a granular, you can apply it easily, either by hand for just a few plantings or on a narrow setting using a broadcast spreader.
Apply the fertilizer at, and slightly beyond, what is referred to as the ‘drip line’ of the tree or shrub.
The drip line is the area located under the outer circumference of the tree or shrub branches as seen below.
After applying fertilizer be sure to water it into the soil so it can reach the roots. If left dry, the nitrogen will start to dissipate in to the air.
Fertilizer should be re applied at rates listed above every spring and fall.
As always, never hesitate to contact your growing partners at Willow Ridge with your questions!